1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to footwear, primarily athletic footwear having a hinged entry system that also fastens the footwear to a wearer's foot.
2. Description of the Related Art
For even the casual athlete sports, such as basketball, baseball, and football have progressed beyond the school yard playground to sophisticated athletic arenas. The progression experienced by these and other sports has resulted in increased competition for both the amateur and the professional athlete. Coaches, fans, and the players themselves now ask more of the human body than ever before imagined. As a result of these added bodily stresses, there has arisen a need for protective and supportive athletic equipment. Indeed, one focus for such equipment has occurred in the footwear used by the athlete. More cushion, more support and ease of entry are all demanded by the athlete so as to increase performance and decrease chance of injury.
Despite numerous advances in the cushion provided by athletic footwear, for instance, shoe manufacturers have placed foam, air, and gel in the heels of shoes to provide maximum shock absorption, little has occurred to replace the conventional laced shoe for firmly securing the shoe to the foot. Although Velcro.RTM. straps and air pumps have found their way onto and into athletic footwear, there still exists the need to simplify the entry of the user's foot into the shoe while maintaining a firm and supportive fit, as is found, for example, in the ski boot art. Athletic footwear having a higher top or "boot top" tend to accentuate the difficult entry and removal by including numerous laces that require tightening and loosening upon foot entry and removal. Moreover, while footwear designers and manufacturers continue to introduce a plethora of complex containment mechanisms, for example, Reebok.RTM. offers a shoe wherein the wearer introduces compressed carbon dioxide into three separate chambers within the shoe to tighten the shoe to the wearer's foot, simple and efficient tightening methods incorporated with ankle and foot support appear overlooked. Other examples of different shoe entry methods are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,972,613 (issued Nov. 27, 1990 to Christopher J. Loveder) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,184,410 (issued Feb. 9, 1993 to Paul R. Hamilton).
The shoe described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,972,613 includes a frontal subassembly and rear subassembly that reside above the sole of the shoe. The frontal subassembly is comprised of several parts including a toe box, a throat, lace receiving openings on either side of the throat, a tongue, and a pair of partial quarters. The rear subassembly has an inner portion and an outer portion, with the outer portion comprising a U-support that is pivotally attached to the sides of the shoe and pivotally movable between upper and lower positions; a binding strap is used to retain the U-support in its upper position. The shoe described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,972,613 requires laces to fit the shoe to the frontal portion of the user's foot, which laces hinder the user when he or she dons or removes the shoe. Additionally, only the U-support of the rear subassembly pivots; the frontal subassembly remains fixed. Moreover, the multiple parts increase the manufacturing costs by adding to the complexity of manufacture and weaken the overall support provided by the shoe as compared to a shoe of substantially unitary construction.
The pivoting shoe described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,184,410 has forward and rearward portions wherein the forward and rearward portions pivot about a pivot hinge mounted coextensively between an intersection of the shoe heel and the shoe sole. A ranged latch with a locking plunger is used to connect the forward and rearward portions of the shoe during use. The forward portion of the shoe also includes cavities adapted to receive deodorant packages. The pivot hinge located at the intersection of the sole and heel of the shoe fails to add the support required of an athletic shoe and decreases the stability of the shoe by eliminating a sole and heel of primarily unitary construction.
Indeed, in many sports, such as basketball and football, it is important to provide the athlete with maximal ankle support. The athlete may, for example, experience direct physical contact from opposing players thereby introducing external lateral and radial forces to the foot and ankle; in many instances these forces exceed the structural limitations of the human body. Thus, there exists a need for enhancing the strength of the ankle and foot through the use of external devices such as a supportive shoe. While some such shoes do exist, they are often difficult to wear and do not provide the user with flexibility in addition to support.
In view of these factors, there arises a growing demand for athletic footwear that is both easy to wear, that is, the footwear does not demand continuous lacing and unlacing, is easy for the user to slip his or her foot into and out of, and provides support to the foot and ankle without losing flexibility of movement. These needs arise in a variety of shoe categories. For instance, in cleated shoes worn by football players, the field of play is often composed of grass and requires cleats for maximal traction, while the contact experienced during play requires sufficient ankle support. Indeed, mountain shoes worn by all-terrain hikers and street walking shoes employed by the casual athlete still must provide the wearer with adequate support without adding weight and unnecessary complexity.
As such it may be appreciated that there continues to exist a need for new and improved athletic footwear that provides the wearer with maximal support through a hinged entry and fastening system. Such a system eliminates the time required to lace and unlace conventional shoes and, as set forth by the instant invention, addresses both the problems of ease of use and support as well as an efficient design for reduced manufacture costs.